News
Local

Integrity commissioner to probe Candon's role in condo vote

City council voted unanimously to have an integrity commissioner investigate Councillor Adam Candon's role in the recent council approval of a downtown condominium project.

Candon also voted in favour of the investigation Tuesday night, saying he wanted to clear the air politically and put a stop to a series of vandalism incidents against his property and “threats” against his family.

A real estate agent, Candon came under fire from members of the public when he chose to vote on the Capitol condominium project even though he had links showcasing the project on his own company website.

Candon spoke to the motion Tuesday to provide what he called “context” for his fellow councillors.

He said that after he heard talk about his having a potential conflict of interest he sought the advice of a lawyer who cleared him of any potential conflict.

Following the Capitol project vote two weeks ago, which was decided by a narrow 7-6 margin, Candon said he has been subject to “gross ridicule” from members of the public.

His car has been “keyed” - damaged by someone scraping a key across the paint.

“My family's been harassed,” he told council. “I'm afraid for the safety of my family. It's been absolutely disgusting... I can't live my life this way.”

The integrity commissioner will send a report to council at a later date.

•

The two-year saga of the Kingston Economic Development Corporation review appeared to draw to a close Tuesday night with city council's acceptance of new governance and accountability guidelines for the agency.

It was during the 2014 budget process that members of the current council questioned whether KEDCO was good value for taxpayers' dollars, citing lack of proof that it was effective in attracting new businesses.

KEDCO receives nearly $3 million a year from the city.

That questioning triggered the formation of a review committee which spent several months this past winter and spring coming up with new direction for the agency.

On Tuesday, council approved the separation of KEDCO's tourism and economic development functions, the creation of separate boards of directors for each, as well as stricter reporting mechanisms including quarterly financial reports to council.

An amendment by Councillor Peter Stroud, however, added another level of oversight.

Councillors agreed to the formation of a temporary working group to conduct a performance review of the newly formed economic development agency in 2017.

“This would not be an audit, this is a performance review,” said Stroud.

The citizens' group Friends of Kingston also attended the meeting with a handout sheet demanding that councillors defer their vote to proceed with the matter.

Spokesman Kim Donovan said that earlier in the afternoon he received word from a lawyer representing the city that they would be allowed to access 6 years of KEDCO's financial statements.

Donovan said the agreement comes with a cost.

“It asks us to spend $40,000 to get the financial information we've requested,” he said.

Donovan said the information should be available for the sake of transparency.

“We don't know what we'll find,” he said. “We want to know how they truly spent the money.”

•

Is global warming lengthening the patio season in Kingston?

If it is, councillors Richard Allen and Peter Stroud want to know what the city can do to accommodate restaurants and cafes that put out sidewalk tables for their patrons.

In a motion approved by council they asked city staff to come back with recommendations to possibly allow the patio season, which ends at the end of October, to be extended into November.

“Climate patterns have shifted winter temperatures and precipitation levels in Kingston, resulting in milder November weather,” the motion said.

Councillor Jim Neill asked that staff also look into the possibility of starting the patio season earlier in the spring.

•

Councillors have committed the city once again to contributing to the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation fundraising campaign.

Taxpayers will donate $6.5 million - $1.3 million annually over five years - beginning in 2017.

Two councillors, Jim Neill and Mary Rita Holland, were the two dissenting votes.

Holland said collecting city tax money to fund provincial services such as health care was another example of “downloading” services by senior levels of government.